ST JAMES, Jamaica— Next year’s staging of the Jamaican International Cycling Classic could see an additional stage, making it a four-stage race, says Dr Wayne Palmer, president of the Jamaica Cycling Federation who is also a member of the organising committee of the event that was staged in St James last weekend.

More than 80 riders from 20 countries participated in the event that started and ended at Whitter Village Shopping Centre in Ironshore on each of the three days. Colombian Sergio Henao Montoya, of the Nu Colombia cycling team, won the overall title.

Palmer, who said he would have graded this year’s staging “a solid eight” out of 10, disclosed that organisers will discuss adding a fourth stage as well as getting more local riders and possibly adding a national team.

“I’m hoping that we can maybe extend the stages a little bit, we’ll discuss whether or not an additional stage would be an advantage,” he told Observer Online.

“Of course we want to see a lot more local riders in there, and perhaps we’re looking to see if we can probably field a national team at that time as well,” he said.

Seventeen local-based riders started the event Friday morning while a number of foreign riders, including American John Borstelmann who won the third stage and was second overall, rode with local teams.

Palmer said the event went well, with the exception of a few “hiccups” some of which they were able to deal with as the event unfolded, such as getting more police on the course at the request of the Commissaire- the official from the UCI (Union Cycliste Internationale) in charge of the event.

The main issues he said were the motor vehicles along the route during the races, especially official vehicles that were part of the event.

“Yes, there were maybe a few hiccups with the vehicles and the control of the vehicles, but generally it was well run, well organised,” he said.

The police he said “did what they should have done, and the racing was excellent. So I think overall, we give it a solid eight and a few things to look at, but everything was excellent.”

The positives he said was the overall “organisation of the caravan, which is the support vehicles behind radio control to ensure everyone was in place, tight running of that organisation, to give us blow by blow as the event was taking place, front to back and to ensure the safety of the riders.”

Palmer told Observer Online, “the only down points, I would say, would have been where there were vehicles that were already physically on the same side as the riders. Some of our own drivers here were not adhering to the instructions from the police. They were still trying to mingle with the caravan, and some in the opposite direction were going way above the speed limit in spite of police instruction.”

The feedback from the overseas based teams was positive, Palmer said.

“I was with the chief Commissaire, and he was pretty happy with the organisation. He wanted a little bit more police presence as we moved from stage one into stage two and three, which we provided, and that made him a lot happier. So I think in the end, he gave us a good nod,” he said.

– Paul Reid